Global data show only 32 per cent of married women from low-income countries currently use modern contraceptives.
The total fertility rate is 2.3 births per woman, which is declining and approaching replacement fertility. This is an important achievement.
However, the modern contraceptive prevalence rate, which is 43 per cent, is still below the target.
Sub-Saharan Africa has consistently failed to reach the target of modern contraceptives prevalence for the past 20 years.
The future projection of modern contraceptives prevalence for 2030 is 60 per cent, which may be a distant dream if the barriers and enablers will not be tackled on time.
Unmet need for family planning results in unintended pregnancies which lead to unsafe abortions.
This has major health and social implications and is often the leading cause of maternal mortality in low-income countries.
Family planning reduces adolescent pregnancies, prevents pregnancy-related health risks, promotes education since it will keep girls in school, raises the economic status of women, and gradually empowers them resulting in improved health outcomes and better quality of life.
Expanding the government programmes on access to effective contraceptive methods is essential to meet the Sustainable Development Goals and to achieve universal access to reproductive healthcare services by 2030.
For this, the government has started a family planning programme to increase the use of the services and reduce the unmet need.
However, various factors negatively influence the delivery of family planning services including lack of information, limited awareness of dissemination activities, lack of trained staff on youth-friendly services, and various cultural factors.
Family planning is a choice for many youths, but they often experience barriers such as negative provider attitudes, long distances to healthcare facilities, and inadequate stock of preferred contraceptives.
Youth are reluctant to use modern contraceptives due to misconceptions about long-term fertility risks, fear of side effects and this is because they lack deeper knowledge of family planning.
The available literature on family planning use among adults from Kenya suggests that youth is an under-researched population when it comes to family planning.
While there is also evidence on perception and key barriers to the use of family planning measures in this population.
Hence, more research needs to be done to identify the perceptions and barriers to the use of family planning among the youth to assist policymakers in designing appropriate interventions to strengthen the family planning programmes in Kenya.
The fact is contraceptive services are not always accessible nor affordable in rural areas.
Health facilities are far, and many young people feel reluctant to travel long distances.
Members of the community are reluctant to travel over fears of going to far flung health facilities only to find the contraceptives are out of stock.
Health institutions should consider peer to peer and male-friendly approaches in advancing the use of contraceptives and other sexual reproductive health services.
Youth advocate reproductive health network Kenya
Edited by Kiilu Damaris
